Something for the weekend :: Blackberries

If you love to eat and cook seasonally then you'll know that now is the best time for one of my favourite fruits - the blackberry.  The best thing about blackberries is they are available for free in many places and not just in the country either - check out parks, alongside canals or cycle tracks and scrub land. Berries growing close to busy roads are best avoided as are those growing close to the ground where dogs and foxes may cock a leg.

I'm very lucky when it comes to blackberries - not only do I live in the country with lots of brambles in the woods nearby (and sloes too but that's a whole other blog post!) but my MIL's large garden has a HUGE bramble bush tucked away down the bottom absolutely over flowing with luscious black jewels. This year the harvest has been very abundant and we have already picked more blackberries than in previous few years and there are still many more growing and ripening.

That's one BIG bush...

 

Fortunately blackberries freeze well. Just give them a wash and check through for bugs then lay them, in a single layer, on a baking tray and pop them in the freezer until solid before bagging them up for future use in cakes, muffins, tea breads, coulis, compote and more.

I have been collecting lush blackberry recipes on my 'Autumn' Pinterest board and last weekend I had a bit of a baking frenzy trying out some of them...


This 'Wild Blackberry Loaf' recipe was incredibly simple to make and tasted absolutely wonderful - the blackberry icing was a bit of a faff but definitely worth it!

We also had a go at 'Blackberry Lemonade' which is delicious as it is but, I would imagine would make a lovely mixer with a splash or two of vodka...

Talking of vodka, there is a great Blackberry Vodka recipe pinned to the board that I may have to try too!

 Far and away our favourite recipe was the magnificent Blackberry Pie Bars tray bake. It needed a bit of tweaking and deciphering of American measurements but turned out amazing. I shall be adding the recipe as a separate post later but in the meantime here are some piccies to whet your appetite!

 

There's still a few weeks of blackberry season left so why not make the most of this most wonderful FREE food and get picking!!

Something for the Weekend - cute mini pincushion tutorial

Here's a cute project for you - these adorable little pincushions take just moments to put together and make fab gifts for your stitchy friends!


For the base I used a small curtain ring  - I picked up a big bag of them for £1.50 from a charity shop last year - even bought new they are much cheaper than the purpose made 'craft rings' you can buy and wooden ones can easily be painted to match your chosen fabric too!

You will need:

small wooden curtain ring (outer diameter 55mm)
circle of fabric approx 15cm diameter - I used a small plate as a template
circle of felt cut to inner diameter of curtain ring
needle and thread
toy stuffing
craft glue
teeny button to trim

 First run a gathering stitch around the edge of your fabric circle, approx 5mm in from the edge.

Pull the the thread to gather the fabric together 

Add the stuffing then pull the thread tight to close the gap and fasten off. 

Don't worry too much about neatness as this will be hidden later... 

 Put some glue all around the edge of the curtain ring

Place the cushion on top. 

Push down gently so the fabric comes into contact with the glue all the way around.  

Leave to dry for a few minutes.

Now glue the felt circle onto the bottom of the cushion to neaten it up.

My curtain ring had a small hole where I had removed the eye hook so I covered it up by gluing on a teeny pink button.

And there you have it - pincushion cuteness in minutes! 

Team up with a matching needle book for a perfectly co-ordinated addition to your work basket.

(if you really don't want to make one yourself, this little pincushion, along with cute matching needle book, is available to purchase from my Folksy shop now! )

Happy Crafting!